Raschid Abdullah (Surrey Advertiser, March 25) is claiming that Guildford Borough Council is out of touch with broader needs of residents.

How arrogant he has become. He is the chairman of the Trinity Party, a party with few members, and seems to think he speaks for Guildford.

He claims the council has deprived Guildford of the Civic Hall, yet he carefully avoids pointing out that the reason a new Civic Hall is not half built by now are the actions of the other man who presented the petition for a directly elected mayor, namely Michel Harper through his companies.

It is those failed legal moves that caused Taylor Woodrow to pull out from building the planned scheme. Just after the May 2003 election, when the Conservatives took control of the council, we received a report from the council’s officers that told us that the Civic Hall needed approaching £100,000 spending on it just to comply with health and safety requirements to be allowed to remain open.

It was also losing some £400,000 a year and rising, and was providing an ever-deteriorating entertainment programme at the time of its closure.

The council’s vision of better shows for a wider audience, better facilities and lower subsidy, have been held up by the various manoeuvrings.

And of course the plans under the previous Liberal Democrat-led council suffered a similar fate due to the threat of legal action by ... yes you can guess correctly!

Trinity Party members have conducted public activities which ill serve Guildford.

If there is a referendum for a directly elected mayor as a result of their petition, which will cost tax payers another £100,000, I trust the public of Guildford will see through the activities of these men and vote a resounding “no”.